Hurricane Arthur swooped through town and did far more damage than we ever expected. Some folks were without electric power for five days. In good ol' Lubec fashion, everyone chipped in to help their neighbor as needed.

Arterial

Mowry Beach, Lubec, Maine

Hanging with my family for a birthday celebration at Reid State Beach.

Critters all around us! Two hares regularly snack just outside my studio.

Found this sweetie in the shop!

Lovely loon at Indian Lake, Whiting Maine.

The loons always greet us when we kayak on their lake.
Our first kayak of the season!

My friend and teaching colleague from eons ago, Donna Dachs, FINALLY made her way to Lubec!!! I think she is hooked!!!

In this pic, East Quoddy Head, Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada

Chris and me at Reid State Beach.

Enjoyed a beautiful summer wedding while playing Maid of Honor at my friend Becky's wedding. What a gorgeous day for love, celebrated waterside then on a boat cruise around Casco Bay.

I guess today is what some would refer to as a "milestone". At precisely 11:42 p.m. this evening I will be forty-five years old. I noticed that I hadn't blogged in over two months which is a deviation for me from the norm. Today I woke with the "plan" to do a very specific set of things that I either wanted to do or felt that needed to be done. As with most plans, they went out the proverbial window. I did manage to re-arrange the shop, went to the beach, and am now writing this blog entry. All three of those things were on "the list". I did neglect, however, to clean and work. I am not crying over this, not by any stretch, as the day began in a quite lovely manner with a bit of spontaneity. I was hijacked by two friends, first thing in the morning, and taken on a mushroom scout deep in the woods. In the past, with deadlines and orders looming, I would have denied myself the pleasure of such an excursion, but the "new" me, the "another year older and wiser" me found a "yes" smoothly rolling off the tongue before even having time to run down the mental list of reasons to say "no".

It feels to me that a lot of how I go about life has been changing. One thing that I have been thinking about lately is fear, where it comes from, how we create and propel it, and how to overcome it. I have a couple handfuls of fears that have accumulated over the years. Some reach back to as young as three years old and some were developed not much more than a decade ago. Most of these, when examining and analyzing with my rational mind, actually seem sort of unfounded. Sure, there was something that triggered the fear, but to hold onto that fear for decades has come to seem somewhat irrational.

To each person their fear, whatever it may be, is psychologically huge. To an outsider that same fear may seem silly. I thought of this two days ago while I watched with interest a spider crawling over my arm hair. That same day I saved (yet another) mouse from Bouli, carrying it to safety. I have watched others squeal in terror when they come anywhere near such critters, but to me, they are harmless.

That being said, my fear of bees to some would seem disproportionate to the probability of actually being stung. I have thought in my mind, is it such a bad thing to be stung? Sure, it hurts, but in the whole scheme of things, other things hurt much worse. That fear I trace back to being three years old and riding my "Big Wheel" in the barn. I noted a large bumble bee in the window pane and thought to myself that if I left it alone it would not hurt me. After all, I had been told this before. I continued to ride my bike, minding my own business, when that fat aggressive bumble bee flew on over to give me a good ol' sting. Ironically, my grandfather had nicknamed me "Bumble Bee" long before this incident.

Three years ago Universe forced me to face my phobia by sending a swarm of thousands of bees to my studio. It was then that I began to tackle my fear. After the incident I found myself wanting to try my hand at beekeeping. My phobia was not instantly cured, but I can say that now, three years later, I have done well. At the beach last weekend a bee landed on my abdomen. In the past I would have panicked, swatted, and ran. Instead, I calmly waited for the bee to fly away. That same day I purposely stood near dozens of bees busily pollinating fireweed.

One fear down, a handful more to go.

I have tackled two others in the past couple months, both major in my eyes. One fear that I faced no doubt would seem silly to others, but the other was (and is) much more complex and I am still working at it. Next week I face another fear that I have held onto since I was eight years old and soon hope to face another that has been with me since thirteen. A few more in line will need to be tackled in later months. All I can say for certain at this point is that it feels good, REAL GOOD, to be doing this clearinghouse of sorts, to be letting go. These are my stepping stones. For now I feel brave.

The real test will come, though, when I find myself at a crossroads as we so often do in life. Most do get past fear and take a plunge to move forward but it usually comes with much emotional turbulence. These stepping stones are great practice, but the real test is whether or not that turbulence can be quelled in a timely manner. We have come accustomed to being controlled by our fears in attempt to hold onto false security, and fear and false security are plentiful.

I think, I hope, that I am on the path to living more fully, more fearlessly.

About Me

Shanna Wheelock sculpts and weaves in downeast Maine nestled amongst spruce trees and critters. She studied ceramics in the early 1990’s as a fine arts student and took to weaving a few years later when awarded a fellowship. She spent many years facilitating workshops for women’s groups, inmates, children, and exchange students, and is a state certified visual arts teacher and Weaving a Life Circle Leader. She recognizes arts as a pathway to healing and is grateful for her enchanted life on the coast, in the easternmost U.S. town of Lubec, with her husband the poet and their two cats "Bello" and "Bouli".

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EARTH LOOM

We built this loom with a Maine Arts Teachers Fellowship grant. It is housed here at Cobscook Pottery, right next to our fire circle. The installation ceremony was amazing - with a group of close friends, chanting, feasting, and praying for Peace.

ZATI MASKMAKING

Hecate (woven and felted wool)

ZATI MASKMAKING

This is my favorite Zati mask that I have made, named "Laughing Tree Spirit." When I wear this mask, I can't help but fill with laughter. The face sometimes appears quiet, but when worn, takes on a more jovial appearance.

ZATI MASKMAKING

This mask is named "Babi." It was the first Zati mask that I ever made. I asked for the animal spirits to make their presence, and they did - with a Baboon! Not exactly what I was expecting. But in this process, I am open and willing to learn/listen to whatever messages are brought to me.

JOURNEY

This is the first tapestry that I ever made on my beaver stick loom. The piece, for me, tells the story of a Shaman's journey through the underworld.

THE MACHINE

The General

THE MACHINE

"Arsenal"

THE MACHINE

"Missile"

THE MACHINE

"Grenade"

COBSCOOK POTTERY

COBSCOOK POTTERY

COBSCOOK POTTERY

Yunomi

EARTHMOTHER

I have been sculpting fertility Goddesses since I was a student at USM, back in the early 1990's. I have made these "Mamas" in earthenware, stoneware, and raku. They have evolved slightly over the years, but the main idea the same. I love to work with the figure - and this is perhaps my favorite form to sculpt and draw - a voluptuous torso.

THE FIGURE

This was the first figure drawing that I ever did, at USM, about twenty years ago.

THE FIGURE

A quick study of model with hiking shoe

THE FIGURE

This was one of our 10 minute warm-up exercises.

THE FIGURE

Annie's Jeans

MINI POTS

These are three typical mini pots that I make. I sell lots of them either through my studio or at Northern Tides, a gift shop here in Lubec.

MINI POTS

SAKE SET

I like Japanese culture and pottery. This comes through in my pottery, with the Yunomi cups, rice bowls, and Sake Sets. This set is in the "Barley" glaze, but I also make them in "Earth and Sky", "Speckled Blue-Grey", and "Butterfly" glazes.

MOON TREE SERIES

MOON TREE SERIES

In this piece I opted to glaze the branches a darker, contrasting color. In some respects I like it better than the more simple, purely celadon piece. However, there is something to be said for quiet beauty.

CHOP SIGNATURE

Most of my new work has this new chop signature. SLW: Shanna Lynn Wheelock